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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23391091">monster | troy otto</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegpoidGumiBear/pseuds/MegpoidGumiBear'>MegpoidGumiBear</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fear the Walking Dead (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Animals, Apocalypse, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Minor Character Death, Original Character(s), Shameless Smut, Survival, The Author Regrets Nothing, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unsafe Sex, Zombie Apocalypse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:55:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,581</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23391091</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegpoidGumiBear/pseuds/MegpoidGumiBear</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Grace transformed when the world fell apart. She adapted, became someone entirely unrecognizable to anyone she once was. She learned to hunt, to kill, to survive. Things were going well, at least they were until she crossed paths with a man named Troy. That's where the real disaster struck.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>"You're gonna get me killed, you know that? Out there on my own, I could do things without having to worry about anyone else. Now, every move I make, I think about how it'll affect you, us, everyone at the ranch." Grace spoke softly, glancing over at him across the room.</p>
<p>"So why don't you go? There's nothing keeping you here. Nobody is stopping you. Just go, if we're all such a burden; if I'm such a burden!" His voice grew louder, becoming clearly frustrated with the woman he'd fallen for. He didn't want her to go, but she was making him mad, and he didn't want to hurt her.</p>
<p>"Troy, I'm pregnant."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alicia Clark/Jake Otto, Nick Clark/Luciana Galvez, Troy Otto/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. part one</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the world changed, so did Grace. She became stronger, quicker, more silent. She became a weapon, fixated on only surviving. It was a kill or be killed world, and she wasn't very fond of dying. Her choice of weapon was knives. Guns were quick, sure, but they were loud and failed her too often. Knives were dependable and silent. </p>
<p>Grace noticed a monster coming near her, and her bloody face paint had been slowly coming off with the sweat she was producing from her long trek. Huffing, she pulled a blade from the holster on her thigh and plunged it into the side of the head, right in the ear. </p>
<p>She felt no remorse, no sadness upon killing the thing. It had no feelings, it had only hunger for living humans. It was a monster that deserved to be put out if its misery. </p>
<p>The young woman took the time to stab the corpse and paint herself over again with the blood now spilling onto the asphalt. It was at this time she felt as if someone were watching her. She decided to try to act as normal as possible and continued walking down the road.</p>
<p>She soon came across a small gas station that looked like it had seen much better days. Of course, the inside was just as terrible as the outside, including the rotting bodies littering the ground. She stepped around them carefully, knife and flashlight out just in case. The building was relatively empty, but she did score a few bottles of water and some canned food. She could ration this out for the next few days, at least. </p>
<p>Grace decided to keep going, as she still felt she was being watched, and she much preferred her odds out on the open road. The woman packed up her new finds into her backpack and drank some water, preparing herself for a long hike. </p>
<p>However, her journey was cut short upon coming out of the building. In front of her were three armed men and women, all in uniform. She hadn't come across any army personnel before, let alone this many. Noticing all guns were aimed at her, she raised her hands, still holding her knife and a bottle of water. "I'm not one of those monsters." She said, slowly moving her arm so she could wipe at her face with the sleeve of her shirt. </p>
<p>"Ma'am, you'll have to come with us. Hand over any weapons and follow us to our vehicle."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. part two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>From Grace's position in the back seat, she could see for miles. It was nothing but empty desertland for thousands of miles, as far as she could see.</p><p>It was silent in the truck, nobody spoke or sneezed or even coughed. They travelled nearly until sundown, which usually was when Grace made herself a camp to settle into for the night. They finally reached a large guarded camp, surrounded by massive walls with barbed wire, and slain corpses lined the outside of the walls. The smell was pungent, but Grace recognized this is a smart defensive strategy to ward off unwanted guests, of both the human and monster kind. </p><p>She looked around as they slowly came to a stop in one of many uniform buildings. "Bring her into the office, Troy will have to decide if she's processed." </p><p>The woman in camo beside her gave Grace a nudge, and off she went, being pushed and shoved into the building they parked in front of. She carefully noted her steps upon entering the building; down the long hallway, past three doors on the left and she was lead into the fourth. </p><p>Questions sprung as she was locked into the office, much to her dismay. Not that she thought she was in trouble, but the entire situation was a little suspicious, to say the least. The word 'processing' came to mind and she wasn't fond of the way it had been said. She began searching the office, looking for anything that could be of use, but the only thing she found was a pen in the desk drawer. She stowed this away into her boot, as it wasn't the most useful, but should she come across any infected, it could come in handy.</p><p>She watched the door for hours before eventually giving in to the fatigue that plagued her. </p><p>* * * * *</p><p>When she woke again, she came face to face with a man in uniform, although he appeared much more casual than the others she'd encountered. Not bothering to share pleasantries with him, she immediately asked, "Who are you? Where am I" </p><p>"My name's Troy. You're in my camp because you were picked up along the border of Mexico. Question; were you travelling north or south?" The man said, offering a cup to her. </p><p>She took it, although she inspected it harshly. A quick sniff told her it was fresh coffee and she drank it slowly, savouring the taste. Most wouldn't trust a refreshment so quickly, but at this point, Grace had a disregard for her life. Sure, she killed monsters left and right, but if someone living decided to kill her? She wouldn't bat an eye. Grace was, obviously, in a bad place.</p><p>"I don't know. I lost my map a while ago, my watch ran out of batteries a few days ago so I don't even know what day it is today. " Grace voiced, holding onto the cup like a lifeline. </p><p>"Are you a part of a group? Anyone you were travelling with?" He questioned, scribbling something down in the notebook in his hand. </p><p>She had been, at one point, but they were all dead by now. So, she lied, "no, I've been on my own since the start."</p><p>He nodded, continuing to write something down. She stared curiously at the little book, raising an eyebrow when she pieced together that he was writing down their conversation. "Do you always take notes when conversing with people, or should I be worried about passing some sort of test?"</p><p>"No need to worry, I just like to document things. This may be the only thing future historians can use to piece together what happened to humanity." He explained, "you've already passed through processing, so you'll be free to go in a few hours."</p><p>Grace had a bad feeling that wouldn't happen, so as soon as he was out of the door, she began tearing the room apart again, only coming across a screwdriver behind one of the tall filing cabinets. She managed to open the door after slamming down on the doorknob with a chair a few times. The door broke open, and she quietly left the room, screwdriver in hand. </p><p>She made her way outside, finding nothing but chaos. From the looks of things, Troy had been taken hostage by a blonde woman, who was holding him around the neck, with something held to his eye. Looking closer, she noticed it was a utensil actually stabbed into his eye. She grimaced, moving around the building to find a way out of this godforsaken camp. </p><p>She came face to face with a dead one and plunged the screwdriver into its eyes while letting out a small shriek. That's when she noticed even more behind the first, and turned, running back where she came from. Walkers were coming at them from every angle, and she was fighting hard to fend them off. That was when the blonde woman from before let go of Troy, fighting the monsters as they made their way to a truck. </p><p>She screamed when a dead one actually grabbed onto her arm, pulling at the sleeve of her jacket. In a moment, she'd unzipped the jacket and pulled herself free, leaving the monster biting on the fabric just as her arms were bare. She ran, avoiding as many as she could, using the screwdriver when needed, and nearly made it to the truck when she felt a tug on her hair. </p><p>Then, a shot rang out, louder than the others, and she recognized it had been Troy, shooting a monster trying to get her. "C'mon, we gotta go, there's too many," he shouted, jumping into the pan of the truck while keeping a hand to his injured eye. </p><p>Despite her better judgement, she followed closely behind him, still stabbing a few monsters through the eyes with the screwdriver in her hand. </p><p>As they got away from the military base, Grace could see a helicopter trying to lift off the ground, but an undead fucker had grabbed on and somehow managed to keep a hold on the helicopter. She gestured to Troy's gun, which had a small scope on it, and he handed it over. </p><p>She lined up her shot and watched the thing drop to the ground. She wasn't sure if she'd gotten a headshot, but she hoped the fall was substantial enough to kill it again if she didn't shoot the brain.</p><p>Finally, she settled in against the cab of the truck, sitting next to Troy, her head occasionally bumping against the glass behind her. She would live to see another day, it seemed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. part three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Somewhere along the road, Grace had drifted off to sleep, leaning against Troy's shoulder. They'd stopped along the side of the road once deemed safe and rearranged everyone amongst the many vehicles that had made it out. Grace had ended up in the front seat, between the driver and Troy. A large bump shook her awake and she quickly grabbed the screwdriver she'd been using as a weapon lately. "Where are we?" She mumbled, relaxing after she realized they were still driving. </p><p>"We're almost there," Troy replied. Grace could see he was after finding some sort of bandage, most likely belonging to a first aid kit in the truck, and was holding it to his injured eye. There was no way of knowing the damage Madison had done to Troy's eye, not until they got where they were going.</p><p>Nobody had discussed where exactly they were heading. Grace could only hope it was safe.</p><p>Another hour passed before they stopped. It was a ranch, vast grassland entirely fenced in. There were stables, a large assortment of tents and campers, as well as cabins, and a beautiful grand home right in the middle. There were even cattle, and horses, Grace noted with delight. She'd always been an animal lover. This place looked like it hadn't been touched by the downfall of civilization, aside from the weapons the men at the gate sported. </p><p>The truck pulled to the side, letting the other vehicles pass through the large gate. "Yo, who'd you piss off to draw guard again, huh?" Troy joked with the man at the gate.</p><p>In a straight tone, the man responded, "your father wants to talk to you."</p><p>"Jake already talk to him?"</p><p>"Jake ain't here. That's the thing, he ain't been here since he left. He's overdue." With those words, the tone changed in an instant.</p><p>"Alright," Troy said, opening the truck door and getting out, pulling Grace as well, gesturing to Nick and Madison, "get out of the truck."</p><p>"What?" Nick asked, confused.</p><p>"Get out of the truck and wait outside!" Troy demanded, having gotten back in his seat and closing the door. "Now, c'mon, get out!"</p><p>The mother and son joined Grace out of the truck, standing there with the guard as the truck pulled away, driving into camp. They closed the gate and Grace sighed, plopping onto the ground. She could hear Nick and Madison arguing, but tried to ignore it as she closed her eyes and leaned back, feeling the sun's rays on her skin. She stared into the camp, watching as the day continued on for the people inside. </p><p>Some time passed before an older man approached from the other side of the fence. He offered Madison a cup of coffee and conversed with her for a few minutes. Then, Madison steps back and the man called out, "welcome, Nick and Grace!" he directed his next shout towards the man at the gate, telling him to open it. </p><p> Grace followed behind Madison and Nick as they were lead through the camp, the man introducing himself and giving them a tour of sorts. Everyone in the ranch had been doomsday preppers, preparing themselves for the downfall of humanity, but the dead coming back had been a surprise. Grace scoffed at that idea. How could anyone be ready for such a thing? Grace hadn't been. Neither had any of her family, that was if one could even call those people that.</p><p>Jeremiah gave Madison and Nick a cabin, then gave Grace a room in his own home. There was a free bed in the cabin, but he thought it best to give the Clarke family their own space, upon request of Grace. </p><p>The young woman was given a change of clothes but chose to keep her own boots. Jeremiah told her where the bathroom was and Grace nearly squealed in delight upon finding the tap had running water. She washed up as best she could in the sink, managing to wash the blood off her skin and hair. She got dressed in the jeans and tank top, slipping on a light plaid shirt as well. It wasn't enough to keep her warm, but it would protect her arms and shoulders from the sun. </p><p>She was braiding her wet hair in her appointed room when the door opened. "Dad said you mentioned experience with animals?" </p><p>"I used to work with animals." She replied. Technically, it wasn't a lie, but she couldn't find it in herself to tell anyone what her life before had been like.</p><p>"Does that experience include horses?" He asked, holding a cowboy hat in one hand. </p><p>"I suppose you'll have to find out." She smirked, accepting the hat. It reminded her of what her husband had worn, back when he was alive. </p><p>"I suppose so." He agreed. </p><p>They walked to the stables, where Grace could hear the sounds of many horses. Troy lead her to the last stall, where a black horse stood. He was fairly large, with a few white spots adorning his sides. "His name's Cow." </p><p>Grace shot Troy a questioning look, and he shrugged his shoulders, "one of the kids named him. We lost his rider recently, so if he'll adjust to you, then he's yours." </p><p>"Mine?" She murmured, running her hand along the animal's neck gently.</p><p>"Your responsibility, your job, so to speak. Everyone here has a job, that's how we've lasted so long. If he'll work with you, then you'll be the one to take care of him and earn your keep." Tory clarified.</p><p>"Right." Grace nodded, understanding. She knew she wouldn't be allowed to stay here without putting in some work. "Taking care of one horse isn't exactly a full-time job. Need any help farming?" </p><p>"See, now you've changed my view of you entirely. I had you pegged as one of those rich, country club girls." Troy joked, glancing her way, "yeah, I bet we could use an extra hand for some of our crops. I'll mention it to my dad, but in the meantime, Cow here is your job, every day. Work on building his trust." </p><p>Grace smiled at that. It felt like at least one part of her life would go back to normal, as weird as that sounded. Her grin grew when Troy asked if she wanted to bring Cow out into the training pen.</p>
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